This antibacterial coating for the titanium screw that attaches the new implant to the bone of the jaw reduces the progression of peri-implant disease, which can lead to bone loss and eventual loss of the implant. Implants are a more common replacement for missing teeth than traditional fixed or removable dental prostheses. Approximately five percent of all dental implants anchored through osseointegration, or the attachment of human bone cells to a metal surface, will fail within ten years. Peri-implantitis, a degenerative, site-specific bacterial infection with no treatment options, causes inflammation of soft-tissue around the implant and bone loss following installation, making it the main cause of failed implants. Available implants traditionally use screws with a coating of titanium-nitride, which reduces corrosion and has good biocompatibility to help osseointegration. However, in those cases where peri-implantitis develops it can lead to loss of bone as well as failure of the implant. Attempts to coat the screw with charged metallic particles with antibacterial properties, such as copper, silver or magnesium, resulted in unfavorable interactions with surrounding tissue.
Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a titanium-nitride coating incorporating an antibacterial layer of quaternary nitrogen that has improved antiseptic properties without using charged metallic ions. Preliminary data indicates that the positively charged quaternized TiN outperforms traditional TiN coatings with a 40-50 percent reduction in bacteria.
Antibacterial dental implant coating that will reduce peri-implant disease and increase implant lifetime
The formation of the antimicrobial layer relies on producing a charged titanium-nitride (TiN) surface through a Menschutkin reaction, which is commonly used to synthesize quaternary ammonium salts. Creation of a charged TiN surface requires three steps. First, a titanium vapor solidifies, forming the titanium layer. Next, a titanium-nitride (TiN) layer forms through evaporation, chemical vapor deposition, plasma spray or sputtering, which coats the titanium layer. Finally, the titanium-nitride (TiN) quarternizes through a reaction of the titanium-nitride layer with an alkyl halide.
